Resident Evil: Death's Door
by Gaara
Summary: Things quickly go from bad to worse for a man trapped in the infected Raccoon City as he struggles to stay alive. Things become even worse when you toss in Umbrella Special Forces...
1. Default Chapter

Quick Note: Any and all thoughts will be placed between (^) marks.this is subject to change, but it works for now.enjoy.  
  
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-Raccoon City, Sept.29- The following is an account of the events that occurred after the T- Virus outbreak in Raccoon City.  
  
As the sun began to set over the horizon, twilight slowly crept through the silent streets of Raccoon City. Michael looked down the quiet alley and ran quickly to the nearest door. He was a man in his late twenties. His hair was jet-black, slicked back against his scalp. He wore a white sleeveless shirt with a short sleeved jacket over it, a pair of jeans and tennis shoes. The back of his jacket bore a flaming skull with two swords plunged through it. In big bold red letters read the words "Evil Waits for No One." ^I have to find somewhere safe for the night. I can't stay out here on the streets, not with those.things out here.^ He turned the doorknob and ran into the building, pulling the door shut behind him. The room he was in was clean, dimly lit, and had no other way in.  
  
Michael sighed with relief and locked the door before sitting down at a small fold out table. ^What are those creatures? They aren't human. But they couldn't be zombies.could they?^ He looked at the far wall and saw a small desk with a typewriter resting on it.  
  
"Maybe I should right a identification paper. I doubt I'll make it out of this mess alive." He sat down in front of the typewriter, placed some new paper and an ink ribbon in it, and typed: If anybody reads this letter, my name is Michael Harell. I was a reporter for the Raccoon City Times until yesterday. I lived alone, no wife and no kids (I always thought it would be too much of a hassle to have a family). I bet you're wondering what happened, here's the run down. September 28th, yesterday, I was sitting in the diner enjoying a burger; when I hear a scream from outside and somebody fell through the window. I went over to the guy and offered to help him up, but all he did was moan in reply. I offered my hand and the guy tried to bite me! Needless to say, I got away from him. I looked around the diner and saw that the other five people who had been in there were heading for the back door. I caught up with them in front of the door as the first three people stepped into the back alley. I was about to follow when I heard another moan, and then they were screaming. I pulled the other two away and led them back up to the front, where the thing was just starting to get up. I led the two out the front and took them to a small safe house down the street. Well, that was two days ago; those two people, they're dead now.probably one of those things by now. I can't say I was surprised this happened.especially after the incidents lately; and the others three months ago. You know the ones.the cannibal attacks in the woods. Yesterday morning, I went by the Kendo Gun Shop and picked up a handgun. Robert, the owner of the weapons shop, was arming people, not wanting them to end up like the others. He also gave me five clips to go with it. I've only had to use it once, and I hope I don't have to use it again. These things are crazy, they have inhuman strength and bullets don't faze them! It took six shots to kill one of those things. I've been trying to survive, but I don't know how long I can last against them. Tell my parents I love them; and if he made it out of here before things went crazy, tell Ben Bertolucci he was right.  
  
Michael pulled the page out and placed it next to the typewriter. A ghastly moan pierced his ears from behind the entrance. ^Looks like I got in here just in time.^ He watched as the thing began to beat on the rusty metal door. ^Good thing for me these things.these zombies, are brainless.^ He looked up at the ceiling. They were not the only things out there he knew. Like the creature, he had seen outside the police station, the creature with the exposed brain. The zombie continued to beat against the door uselessly. Michael looked around and found a combat knife lying on the floor near the door. He strapped it onto his belt and patted the gun in it's holster; he had taken a utility belt from a dead cop to hold it in, not wanting the gun to go off in his pants. He had also taken the holster that strapped onto his back, although he wasn't sure what it was for. He had only been in the army, never part of the police force. ^I wonder if Ben was right about them too.was Umbrella really behind this?^ The beating against the door became louder as a second zombie joined the first. Michael looked around the room and found a small office connected to the room. He stepped into the room and found a small window, big enough for him to squeeze through. Knowing the door wouldn't last long if too many zombies joined in. ^I've seen what happens if those thing get a hold of you, you become one of them. I'll end my own life long before I let that happen.^ He grunted as he broke the window open and looked out onto the street. He saw a man with red hair in an RPD uniform run by, followed by a dark figure crawling across the wall. ^It's one of those brain creatures! I've got to try and help that guy!^ Michael quickly climbed out the window and ran after him. ^Could he have anything to do with that explosion I heard earlier?^ He caught up with the officer right before he turned down the alley leading to the Kendo Gun Shop. Michael's eyes darted through the shadows. ^Where did it go?^ He was trembling all over. He had never been more scared in his life.  
  
"Hey! Back here!" He called as he ran down the alley to catch up with the officer. The officer turned and aimed his gun down the alley. He stopped and lowered it as he saw Michael running towards him.  
  
"Thank god. I thought I was the only person left alive in this city. I'm Leon Kennedy, I signed on with the RPD barely a month ago. First day on the job." The officer said as he put the gun back in its holster. Michael shook his head and continued to look around cautiously.  
  
"There are a few people left, most of them are hiding in the safest places they can find." Michael unconsciously broke out in a sweat and wiped his forehead.  
  
"What's wrong?" The officer turned and walked down the alley, stopping at the doorway to the gun shop.  
  
"There are worse things out here then those zombies." Leon looked at him curiously.  
  
"Like what? Aren't those things bad enough?" Michael shook his head and gasped as he heard a shrill cry from somewhere in the city.  
  
"That's why I came after you, you were being followed by one of the brain creatures." Michael explained what he knew about the creature, how it was human size with long, sharp claws, and how it could climb across the walls at inhuman speeds. He also told Leon who he was, and how the whole thing had started.  
  
"I don't know how deadly they are, I've been fortunate to have come this far without running into one." Leon nodded.  
  
"I don't think the streets are a safe place to be. You should come with me, I'm heading to the police station." Michael backed up a step and took in a sharp breath.  
  
"I wouldn't go there if I were you. The place is crawling with monsters!" Leon opened the door to the shop.  
  
"Well, I've got to check for survivors. Stay here for a minute, I'll be right back out." Michael watched the dark shadows wearily as he waited for Leon. The cop emerged from the shop a few minutes later with a side-pack strapped to his waist.  
  
"You might need these." He handed Michael three clips and closed the side- pack. Michael caught a brief glimpse of a case of .50 AE rounds, and wondered what kind of heat the officer was packing.  
  
"I'm heading to the police station, I hope you'll be okay by yourself." Michael nodded and watched Leon head back into the gun shop, undoubtedly out through the backdoor. Leon Kennedy, He thought to himself, ^a rookie cop newly assigned to Raccoon City. I hope he's not just another dead body.^ Michael looked back down the alley and saw a group of dark figures heading his way. He then looked to his left and saw the jeep he had seen earlier, backed into a brick wall. He climbed onto the jeep and looked over the wall, checking to make sure it was safe. The long moan of one of the zombies made him take one last glance over his shoulder before he jumped the wall, landing in a crouch. He quickly got to his feet and looked for a door. A low hiss from the darkness of the wall caused Michael to turn. As he turned the horrible creature jumped at him, it was one of the brain creatures. It pinned him to the ground and was about to slash at his chest open when he screamed and fired three quick shots into its chest. The creature screeched and fell backwards as Michael got to his feet and ran down the alley. The creature was barely down three seconds before it flipped back onto its hands and feet. Suddenly, the creature fired its insanely long tongue at Michael and it wrapped around his leg, tightening its grip. He fell forward as it pulled his foot out from under him. His head smacked the concrete with a sickening thud and he felt warm blood running from his mouth. He turned onto his back, aimed carefully, and pulled the trigger. The bullet erupted from the barrel of the gun, and made a sick splat when it hit the exposed brain of the creature. Dark blood oozed from the wound and flecks of pink tissue exploded off the head of the monster. The horrible thing fell onto its back and writhed in pain before finally falling limp. ^Lickers.that's what the police report was talking about.^ Michael scrambled to his feet and held the gun tightly in one hand. Blood ran from his lower lip, he tried not to think about the pain. He leaned heavily against the wall beside him and slid down to his knees.  
  
"Why would somebody want to create such a monster?" He chambered the next round and placed the gun against his head. A zombie stumbled into the alley from the street and began to make its way toward him, slowly and clumsily. Michael squeezed his eyes shut and braced himself for the gunshot that would end his life. The zombie had halved the distance between itself and him, now only five feet away. The gun exploded with noise and the monster fell to the ground. It had one clean shot between its eyes. Michael breathed heavily and lowered the gun. ^I can make it through this. I have a shotgun at home, barely five miles away. I can make it.^ Michael got to his feet and ran down the alley and into the street. He saw no signs of immediate danger. There was a fire blazing to his right, but the road to the left was clear. ^The only clear street I've seen in a while. maybe I can get one of these cars running.^ Slowly, he walked over to a beat up police car and checked the back seat for any unwelcome passengers. He then got in the car and turned the keys. To his surprise, the car came to life and the engine roared. Something gleamed in the dim light, causing him to look to the passenger seat and laugh uncontrollably. In between the seats, there was a sawed off Remington shotgun; RPD issued model. He picked up the gun and examined it, it already had a shell chambered and he found seven more beneath the seat. ^And I have even more at the house.^ It seemed that things were finally going well.  
  
The police car sped through the dark streets; lights off as to try and avoid detection. Except for a few wandering zombies, the streets were deserted. Michael hadn't seen hide nor hair of any of the Lickers since his run-in with the one in the alley. The streetlights cast an eerie glow over Michael's face as he continued down the street. ^Here it is.^ He stopped the car as he pulled up to his house and stepped out. There were a few zombies stumbling around in the street, but none of them had noticed him yet. Michael placed the shotgun in the holster on his back, realizing it had been a good idea to grab the odd looking strap as he ran up to his door and pushed the door open. He flipped the light switch and found that it actually worked unlike the ones further into town where the electricity had gone out. With as little noise as possible, Michael crept to his room and pulled out the bottom drawer of his dresser. He had thirty-five shells in the drawer. The utility belt could carry fourteen on it and he could put the rest in a side-pack. As he rummaged through the closet, he heard something clatter to the ground in the kitchen. He walked swiftly to his bedroom door and shut it quietly. The tennis shoes he was wearing were worn out, and he didn't think they would offer much protection to his feet. After looking for a few minutes, he found a pair of military issue boots. ^This is what happens when you work for the military. Always expecting the unexpected; but, in this case, that's a good thing.^ Michael also managed to find a small, high-powered flashlight in his closet, and strapped it onto his belt. After he felt he was ready to leave, he had even grabbed a wristwatch; he went to the sink in his bathroom and cleaned the blood from his face. Remembering the noise from earlier, Michael pulled the handgun from its holster as he headed for the door. He swung the door open on its hinges and stepped away from the doorway, aiming the gun with two steady arms. There was nothing in there, though he could hear a faint shuffling from the kitchen as he headed for the door and ran outside, down to the cop car. None of the zombies were in earshot and Michael climbed back into the car, noting the faint smell of decay that had not been in the vicinity earlier. The engine roared to life again and he thought about where he would go next. ^Well it's pretty obvious, I'm outta this zombie-infested stink hole.^ The city limit was about ten miles away, half an hour driving on the ruined streets, two or three hours on foot.  
  
Barely five minutes had passed before Michael's plan went awry. He was speeding down the road when a huge figure in a black trench coat came plodding across the street in front of him. He swerved the car right to avoid the monstrous thing and the car flipped. Michael groaned in pain and pulled himself out of the car, looking to his right to find the thing that had caused him to flip. He saw it too.a huge, bald man in a black trench coat walking towards the chemical plant. Michael got to his feet and stumbled towards him.  
  
"Excuse me, sir?" The man stopped, but did not turn to acknowledge him.  
  
"Are you lost? You shouldn't be out on the streets unarmed. There are monsters all over the place." The man turned around and faced him. Michael's face paled as he saw the man's face. It had a rough texture, a deep tan color. But, it wasn't the face that frightened him.it was the eyes. The man's eyes had no pupils. The man turned all the way around and took one giant step towards Michael. In one swift, brutal motion, the man brought his fist down at Michael. Michael stepped to the side and dodged the blow. Then, the man sent the back of his other fist at him. Michael flew down the street and flipped as his shoulder hit the pavement. Pain seared through his muscles as Michael forced himself up onto his hands and knees. The man was plodding towards him. ^What is that guy? Nobody can pack that much strength into one blow.^ Michael got up to his knees and pulled the Remington off his back.  
  
"Don't mess with a guy with a gun buddy." Michael held the gun up and fired. The shot hit him, leaving bullet holes scattered across the trench coat. The abomination didn't even seem to notice he had been shot. The relentless pound of the man's feet slowly hitting the ground drove Michael to scramble to his feet and run. The wind flew past him as he ran as fast as he could down the street, trying to put as much distance between himself and the monster as possible. As he ran out of breath, he turned around and looked down the street for the monster. But when he looked, the monster was nowhere to be seen.  
  
After a few minutes of searching, Michael discovered the monster was nowhere to be found. Without a car, he had no chance of making it to the city limits. The only logical idea Michael could think of at this point was to head for the sewage treatment plant. That monster was heading there for a reason. Maybe there is somebody there who knows how to get out of here. Wishful thinking, he knew, but it spurred him to break into a run towards the plant. Michael had been to the plant numerous times with Ben on what he liked to call interrogation runs. The reason for this, was Ben would grab a worker, usually one of the foremen, and ask him question after question involving the incidents at the Spencer Estate. The people at the planet were hired by Umbrella, along with half the city, but Ben had proof that linked numerous workers at the plant to the Spencer incident.  
  
The trip to the plant was uneventful save for the howl of a dog as he passed through the park. There had been a locked gate blocking the entrance to the plant. However, he didn't feel like screwing with the lock and just jumped the fence. In the lower levels of the chemical plant, there was a passage that ran to the police station, at the very least he might be lucky enough to meet up with Leon again. As he pulled the door to the plant open, his nostrils were hit with a heavy wall of death and decay. He almost vomited but held the bile back as he stepped inside. Against the wall, there was a large pile of dead plant workers. Not wanting to stay longer then necessary, Michael ran through the room. The first floor was clear except for a few skinless zombies. They looked like they had been deteriorating for a while. Michael put them down with clean shots to the head, finding it was the easiest way to kill them. Time passed slowly as he made his way down to the basement level, most of the zombies he saw were off to the side, away from his path. He decided it was not worth the bullets to kill them and ran past. It took him less than ten minutes to find his way down into the sewer and from there, it was a straight run, more or less, to the police station. ^But what if Leon isn't there? How will I know if he's there or not? I can't search the whole police station for him.^ Michael decided that he would figure that out when he reached the station.  
  
  
  
The sewer lid leading into the kennel of the station was closed tightly, but Michael was able to push it free with a few solid heaves of his shoulder. The kennel was silent, the doors to the dog containment kennels were broken open and there was blood smeared across the walls. Michael headed to the door adjacent from him and pulled it open slightly, scanning the next room for signs of movement. There were no moving threats. Michael stepped out into the room and turned right, heading for the prison cells. The cells were as silent as a tomb, but Michael could sense something was in the room. Michael looked ahead, down the walkway leading between the two cells. On the far wall, he saw the body of a man in a white dress suit. His shoulder had been torn away from the rest of his body, leaving a long gap that ran down to his waist. Blood was covering the whole floor around the body, and the man held a sheet of paper in his hand. Michael let his gaze wander up to the man's face. He reeled back in shock and dismay as he saw his face.  
  
"No.Ben, they got you." Michael walked up to the body leaned against the wall and picked up the piece of paper in his hand. He read over it, not learning much he hadn't already known: police chief Brian Irons was working for Umbrella, making a large sum of money off to the side. However, something really caught his eye, the T-Virus. Ben did not bother to go into detail about it, but from the context, Michael figured it was tied in somehow to the catastrophe at hand.  
  
"Ada wait!" Michael tore his gaze away from Ben and looked towards the sliding door leading to the other room.  
  
"Leon?" He said softly to himself. Michael looked down at Ben once more before he got to his feet and ran into the next room. Sure enough, the rookie cop was standing in the next room, obviously trying to decide whether to wait here or run off after this Ada person.  
  
"Leon!" Leon pulled himself out of his mental conflict and looked at Michael.  
  
"Michael, you made it here! I thought you weren't heading to the police station." Michael headed to the kennel door and motioned for him to follow.  
  
"I had found a ride out of the city, but I had a little incident on the way out." Leon followed him into the room and they headed towards the sewer entrance. Leon looked in dismay at the round hole.  
  
"Is it safe down there? That's where Ada went." Michael nodded,  
  
"I just came from that way, it should be safe." Then, Michael remembered the small creature he had seen scurrying across the floor. He had tried to get a shot off at it, but he had missed, the thing was too fast. Leon began to climb down after him. As he reached the bottom, Michael turned and looked at him.  
  
"Come to think of it, I did see a little thing run across the floor on my way from the sewage disposal plant." Leon said nothing and continued to follow him through the sewage disposal area.  
  
"What the hell is that thing?" Michael yelled as they stepped into the main disposal area that led down into the sewers. On the far wall from the door they had entered, a small bug-like creature lay on the wall, unmoving. Leon stepped into the room and Michael pushed him back out. He then crept stealthily over to the thing and lunged at it. As he lunged, the thing jumped from the wall, lashed it's tail across his neck, and ran to the opposite end of the room. Leon stepped into the room to see Michael holding his bleeding neck and caught a glimpse of the small creature running across the walkway leading over the electrical machinery in the middle of the room.  
  
"You okay Mike?" Michael held his hand over his wound and nodded,  
  
"Yeah, I just need a bandage, I believe that I can find one in that small room we just past. I'm sure I'll find something I can use." Michael headed back out of the room and left Leon alone to deal with whatever came next.  
  
Michael wrapped the white bandage he had found in a first-aid bag around his neck and walked back towards the door. As he reached for the doorknob, he heard the sound of gunfire. Michael quickly pulled the door open and lunged for the door leading to the power room. He pulled the door open and looked inside. However, nobody was there. Michael scanned the room, finding nothing more then a large mass of flesh with a bulging eye in the center of the heap. Michael went to the far door and pulled it open. He stepped into the large room and walked out onto the catwalk hanging over the sewer waters below.  
  
"Leon?" Michael whispered harshly as he looked around the room. There was no sign of the cop anywhere. He quickly ran down the stairs, taking them two at a time, and opened the large steel doors. The doors groaned in protest as they moved along their tracks on rusted gears. Michael found nobody in the next room, but was determined to keep looking.  
  
After searching through the sewer system for what seemed like hours, Michael finally stumbled upon a door cleverly hidden behind a fast running waterfall. Michael pushed his way through the gushing water and fell against the metal door. He pulled the door open and made a sweep with his gun. Finding that the room was barely the width of a narrow corridor, he dropped his gun and ran along the walkway. ^Where could that cop possibly have gotten off to?^ When Michael pulled the next door open; he found a small gondola hanging over a huge chasm.  
  
"Crap! Umbrella must be extremely paranoid if they're building canyons to keep people away from them. What are they hiding?" Finding the power already activated, Michael stepped inside and the gondola crept forward. There were three large holes in the roof of the motorized transport and one more in the sidewall. ^I'm getting really curious. Why haven't I seen any zombies or monsters lately? Not saying it's a bad thing, but it is odd.^ The Gondola came to a halt and Michael stepped out. Michael headed through the door to his left and made his way down the hall, almost running straight into the arms of a waiting zombie, he jumped back and raised his gun. Before he could fire, a shot from ahead hit the monster in the back of the skull. The deteriorating head collapsed inward and the body crumpled to the ground. Michael heaved his chest heavily as he fell back against the wall and the looked at his savior. She was a woman with dirty blonde hair. She carried a handgun in one hand and a shotgun in an odd-looking holster on her side. The woman walked slowly towards him and he slid against the wall, to the ground. The woman knelt down over him and placed one hand on his forehead.  
  
"Are you okay?" Michael's eyes suddenly began to glaze over, and he had a hard time focusing on her face. He broke out into a cold sweat and nodded as he looked up at her. She looked him over and noticed the bandage on his neck.  
  
"Quick, tell me what happened to your neck!" Michael rubbed his neck and quickly explained what had happened to him, how only an hour ago he had been wounded. With every word, the woman's face became more and more grave.  
  
"D-do you know what's wrong with me? Why can't I focus?" The woman sighed.  
  
"First off, just so you know my name's Alice. And as far as what's wrong with you.you're infected." Michael's face went pale and he stared up at her in horror as the words escaped her mouth. It was like being lashed with a whip across the back. The sting of the words did not leave for a few minutes. Then, he slowly got back up to his feet.  
  
"I can't believe it, after everything I went through to get this far." Alice helped him up and the two began going in the direction she had come from.  
  
"There is a cure, but from the reports I've found, it was all destroyed. If the reports were accurate, William Birkin used his new strain of the virus, the G-Virus, on himself after a mercenary attack by Umbrella operatives to retrieve a sample of the new virus resulted in the loss of feeling to his arm. You have to hang in there, if you can hold on long enough to make it out of the city, I can contact somebody and get you the anti-virus." Michael shook his head and breathed in heavily. Air was now coming to him in ragged breaths and he had an odd tingling sensation in his neck.  
  
"I can't make it that far. So, just do me a favor and shoot me before I turn into something non-human. I wasn't infected by a zombie, I was infected by something else." Alice looked around the small control room for somewhere to place him. Michael had become very pale, his eyes looked vacant as she sat him down on the floor. Cold metal touched his back and he slumped against the large storage chest behind him.  
  
"There's no way the T-Virus could have worked that fast.but I don't know just what the G-Virus is-" Alice quit as she noticed the young man had slipped into unconsciousness.  
  
"You'll be safe here. Just hold on a minute.I'm going to head back down to the lab and look for a cure." She glanced over at him once more as she exited through the far door leading to the turntable sub-train that would take her back to the Umbrella Research Center. ^I just hope it isn't too late when I get back.^ 


	2. Ch 2: Reality Check

Chapter 2: Reality Check  
  
Michael groaned as he opened his eyes and slowly looked at his surroundings. The sound of some kind of machinery whirred in the distance as he stood from his resting place. A sharp pain in his neck caused him to wince and reflexively place a hand over his wound. ^I wish I could find some kind of mirror.I want to see what's happening to me.^ All Michael could tell was that the size of the wound had grown significantly since he had blacked out. ^That girl.what had she said her name was? Damn, what's wrong with me!^ He walked slowly, one cautious step after another, towards the door at the other end of the room and pulled the door open. A gust of fresh air hit his nostrils as he was greeted with the sight of a large, open, elevator platform. The platform seemed to have been recalled recently, because the sound of machinery had ceased almost as quickly as he had noticed it. Suddenly, a new sound filled his ears; a sound that filled him with hope. Michael ran to the large open space where the platform should have been and looked out into the night sky as he tried to find the source of the sound. ^There, I can't believe it! A helicopter, two of them!^ The fact that he had found hope was quickly engulfed by fear. There was no way that he could possibly get the two air-crafts to notice him, they were too high up. The sound of the helicopters was suddenly dwarfed by another sound, the horrible crunch of metal. Michael's gaze followed the sound in time to see a metal door being ripped off its hinges and flung across the large gap of the platform loading area. The door crashed into the far wall before the reason for its flight stepped into view. Nothing more horrible could have brought Michael back to the danger at present better then the sight of the same monster that had attacked him in the street and nearly killed him. The lumbering monster in its black trench coat slowly turned towards Michael and stared at him with its vacant eyes.  
  
"Please say this isn't happening to me. I'm not ready yet. I don't wanna die!" Michael reached to his side and unholstered his gun, aiming carefully at the abomination standing besides the railing a floor below him. Only one bullet escaped from the gun before something ran into him from behind, tossing him to the ground. He grunted and jumped back to his feet, turning around to see what had run into him, his gun pointed at ready. The sight of a young, brown-haired woman in a pink vest and shorts stopped him from firing and he lowered his weapon.  
  
"What the hell are you thinking! You could get somebody killed being careless like that!"  
  
"I-I'm sorry, my name's Claire, Claire Redfield. I'm trying to find a way out of this place." The girl looked at him nervously as he whirled around and looked down where the monster was. Or, had been.  
  
"It's gone! Dammit, where could it have gone!" Michael turned back to the girl and frowned at her.  
  
"I hope you're satisfied, we could both end up dead now thanks to you! That thing down there could be anywhere now!" The girl looked past him and down into the abyss behind him.  
  
"Quick, tell me what you saw!" The question caught him off guard, Michael almost felt sorry for the girl. She was young, why did she have to live through this ordeal? Michael shook his head and raised his weapon.  
  
"Don't worry about it, I'll go down there and take care of it. You see what you can do about raising the platform, if I'm not back in five minutes, I'm not coming back." Claire nodded and turned, heading back into the small room to try and recall the platform. Michael watched her retreat before heading to the edge of the huge maw. He found a small lift and took it down to the lower level where the monster had been. There was no sign of it anywhere. ^It's still around here somewhere, I have to take care of it!^ He holstered his gun and pulled the Remington off his back. Only a few short steps later, the lumbering giant came back into view, stepping through the ruined doorway and making its way slowly over to him.  
  
"Die you soulless bastard!" The shells exploded out of the Remington and smashed into the creature's chest, not even fazing it. The relentless pounding of its footsteps began to drive Michael crazy as he fired another shot into the monster. It took the blast and continued forward, not even flinching.  
  
"Damn you! Why won't you just die like all those other inhuman creations!" Michael tossed the Remington to the ground and dove at the monstrosity, brandishing his combat knife. As he reached the monster, he buried the knife deep into its chest. He looked up at it and stared in horror, as he saw no change in expression. A sudden pain slashed through his side as it sent a double-fisted blow into Michael's side. Nothing else registered in Michael's mind, not even the pain he felt as he flew over the railing and across the chasm into the far wall. All that he knew was darkness. Death had finally caught up with him; and Michael wasn't willing to fight it right now.  
  
"Don't worry Sherry, I'm sure that man is still alive. He must have found some way out but didn't have time to come back for us. That's okay, we still need to find Leon anyway."  
  
"Leon." Michael muttered as he heard the soft voice from somewhere below. How long had he been out this time? More importantly, how was he still alive? He grunted as he felt the pain in his arms and the tingling sensation in his neck. His legs were dangling out into the darkness. The girl, Claire, was at least twenty feet below him. Somehow, he had managed to grab onto a steel support beam as he had dropped. How, he didn't know. The turntable was below him and he could make out the roof of the sub- train. Michael watched in silence as Claire led the little girl through a small air duct. The turntable must have come to an emergency stop. As the two vanished from Michael dropped down, grabbing onto another support beam as he fell. As he made a desperate attempt to climb onto the beam, his grip failed and he plummeted down. The loud groan of bending metal was the only response he got as his back impacted with the sub-train. ^Fifteen feet, not bad. I can still move anyway.^ Another drop from off the train brought him to his knees beside the thing. Somebody cried out from through the air duct and Michael watched as the little girl came scrambling back through the opening.  
  
"Hey, over here!" He caught her attention and waved her over. She ran over to him, her features very pale and frightened.  
  
"Help, Claire needs help! It's Mr. X! The monster's going to kill her!" It took Michael a moment to make the connection between this name and the trench coat wearing abomination. Michael took a minute to catch his breath before standing and making his way toward the small vent. Sherry had left and came back a moment later, dragging his Remington. A faint smile crossed his face as he took it from her and opened the vent. A loud clank brought his attention back to the turntable as it began to lower again, leaving Sherry alone on it. ^I can't leave that kid on her own, I only hope Claire will be okay.^ Michael dove back onto the turntable as it lowered, rolling and landing against the train. "Sherry, do you know where this platform goes?" She nodded and knelt down beside him.  
  
"Claire said it would take us down into the Umbrella Research Facility." ^Umbrella Research Facility! They willingly created these monsters right here beneath the streets of Raccoon City?^ Sherry nodded as she reached behind her and picked up a map from the floor. She unrolled it and pointed out which floor the platform was supposed to stop. He heaved a sigh of exhaustion and looked at the little girl. ^She's Birkin's kid. But where's Birkin? I've got to find him and get some answers.  
  
"Sherry, When this platform stops, I'm going to head back up and see about helping Claire, I want you to find a safe place in the lab and stay there until somebody comes for you. Can you do that for me? I want you to make it out of here." The little girl nodded and looked around as the platform stopped, three skinless zombies were in the immediate area. Michael raised his handgun and took all three down, one shot for each straight through the brain. Only masses of flesh remained where their skulls had collapsed inward from the force of impact. There was a small office room directly across from the platform, Michael instructed Sherry to go in there and lock the door.  
  
"I'll be back shortly with Claire, just be patient and wait." Sherry did as she was told, running into the room and locking the door as he started up the platform again.  
  
The ride back up to the surface was impossibly slow. Michael had no way of stopping the platform, so his hopes of saving Claire had been blown to hell. All he could do now was wait for the platform to stop so he could head back down.  
  
"Alpha One here, I've got the virus and I am prepared for extraction." The muffled voice brought Michael back from his thoughts, he raised his gun to the ready and flattened himself up against the door on the back of the train car.  
  
"Yes, I'll wait here. Rendezvous in under 0100 hours. Affirmative, but my team-" The voice cut off as the sound of the platform stopping caused the operative to jump. Michael peered around the corner at the person wearing a black stealth suit it looked like and a gas mask. The Umbrella member carried a submachine gun that was pointed in Michael's direction.  
  
"Umbrella Special Forces! Identify yourself or I will not hesitate to shoot!"  
  
"Umbrella?" Michael growled, ^How could anybody willingly work for those monsters? He must know the truth, why work for them?^ Michael spun out from behind the train and fired off one shot. The bullet skinned the hand holding the gun, causing the gun to fall to the ground with a loud clatter.  
  
"I don't think so. I want some answers, now!" A look of pain crossed Michael's face and he winced as the pain in his neck intensified. The umbrella operative held his hands up where Michael could see them, not making any sudden moves. Without saying anything, Michael waved his handgun, signaling the operative to kick his gun over towards him. He complied and Michael nodded.  
  
"Now, take off the mask." Hesitantly, he removed his gas mask to reveal something Michael hadn't expected. He was a woman, not a man. She had bright blue eyes and long blonde hair tied back in a ponytail.  
  
"Don't shoot sir, I know you're very frightened because this situation but don't-" She cut off as Michael groaned and fell forward, landing on his hands and knees. His chest was heaving heavily and he broke out in a cold sweat.  
  
"The. Virus. It's starting to grow inside me! I can't concentrate, what's happening to me!" The woman strode confidently over to him and sent her combat boot across his face. It was only a matter of seconds until Michael's world went black again. This time, he wouldn't be waking up soon.  
  
"This is Alpha One, I have encountered a survivor. What should I do with him?" She held her radio to her ear and waited for a response.  
  
"Check the body Alpha One, what stage of mutation was the specimen in?" After kneeling down over him and checking the wound on his neck she responded.  
  
"Alpha One again. Sir, the wound is still fresh, only a few hours, but the virus is already spreading. The wound is too light, the T-Virus can't work that quickly with such a light wound." Silence filled the air as she waited for orders.  
  
"Hmmm, a living G-Virus specimen perhaps? Bring him with you, this will be perfect for Project Juggernaut. Your transport will be there momentarily. Be careful with that subject Alpha One, we need him alive and human. Keep him sedated, it will slow down the transformation." She smirked and began checking her gun.  
  
"Don't worry sir, he's heavily sedated and won't be waking up anytime soon." She cut off the radio and strapped it to her waist before securing Michael's wrists in handcuffs.  
  
"You belong to Umbrella now, whether you like it or not." 


End file.
